Statistical Wizard
Louis H. Bean Predicted
Truman's 1948 Victory
i
,
By MILTON FRIEDMAN
(Copyright, 1951, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.)
WASHINGTON — The best known Jewish
prophet since Daniel is employed by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture. He is Louis Hyman
Bean, the statistical wizard who predicted Presi-
dent Truman's electoral victory. Those who
scoffed at his book, "How to Predict Elections,"
remained to cheer Bean after November, 1948.
They have continued cheering until he has be-
come Washington's most famOus statistician and
world's best known election forecaster.
Bean's new book, "The Midterm Battle," was
eagerly awaited by Repub-
licans and Democrats
alike. His rise to fame
began about 15 years ago
when he happened to
glance at a page of voting
statistics in the "World
Almanac." He wondered
if elections could be pre-
dieted the way he fore-
cast economic trend s.
This thought gave birth to
a hobby which by 1936 at-
tracted the attention of
President Roosevelt. It was
then that Bean accurately
pre di cted a Democratic
L. H. Bean
victory in states which the
Democrats themselves didn't expect to win.
Roosevelt thereafter listened to Bean's advice
on where to campaign the hardest.
As economic adviser to Secretary Brannan,
Bean is completing his 27th year with the Agri-
culture Department. An engaging gentleman,
he is known for a sharp sense of humor which
makes him a phenomenon among economists.
Bean was born in Russia and was brought to
America by his parents in 1906 at the age of
10. He served in World War I as a U.S infantry
lieutenant. He came to Washington in 1923,
bringing with him degrees from the University
of Rochester and Harvard. Employed as an
economist in the Agriculture Department, he
rose to the department's "brain trust" within
a few years.
In 1942 Bean was appointed Assistant to
the Director of the Board of Economic Warfare.
From 1943 to 1947 he was chief fiscal analyst
of the Bureau of the Budget.
He lives in Arlington, Va., where he main-
tains a wife, two children, and three cats.
Bean's success in election predictions has
surprised even Bean. He explains: "Somewhere
around 1936 I began it as a plaything. My real
job was in agriculture, in farm income, and so
forth. The basic data revealed a vast consis-
tency which enabled me to play. I started to
use political statistics in the same way; to try
to find out what their movements have been
and why." He found that "a knowledge of -vot-
ing behavior over a considerable period of time
greatly narrows the sphere of unpredictability."
Prophet Bean's new "Midterm Battle," at
one dollar a copy, is reaching more people than
ever listened to Daniel's prophecies for free.
Bean predicts this November will find the Demo-
crats losing "25 or 30 seats, a few senators and
a governor.
aiiover
By RABBI SAMUEL J. FOX
(Copyright, 1951, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.)
What does the term "Matzo" mean?
The word "Matzo" is the name given to 'the unleavened
bread eaten during the Passover festival. It is generally consid-
ered as being derived from a Hebrew root "Motzotz" which means
to "suck out," as the sounding of this verb indicates. Thus the
word "Matzo" has come to mean "sweetness" since "sweet" mor-
sels are usually "sucked." An unleavened morsel not having been
fermented is comparatively sweet. In addition thereto the un-
leavened bread appears to be dried out or "sucked out" in com-
parison to the "full looking" bread which has been leavened.
Why are three loaves of Matzo put upon the table for the
Seder ritual?
A number of interesting reasons have been advanced for this
custom. Fundamentally, it should be remembered that two loaves
of bread are usually placed upon the table for any Sabbath or
festival. They are called "Lechem Mishneh" (double loaf) because
they commemorate the double portion of manna (bread from
Heaven which the Israelites received daily in their desert travels)
which was given to the Israelites on Friday so that they would not
have to look for the manna on the Sabbath.
On Passover an additional loaf is added to these two because
it represents the "bread of affliction" which the Bible calls for
(Deut. 16:3) on this holiday. This middle piece is broken in two
at the beginning of the Seder service either to indicate the act
of being "broken" with affliction or to serve as the poor man's
bread which is never eaten in its .entirety at one time for fear
there will be no bread for the next meal.
Another practical reason offered for the three loaves is the
fact that some duty is performed with each of the three. The
middle one we have just explained is broken in half. The top one
is the one over which we make the blessing for the bread. The
bottom one is the one which is used for the "Hillel" sandwich
which places the bitter herbs in between two pieces of Matzo.
Many have claimed that the three Matzos stand for the three-fold
classifications of Israel—the Kohen, the Levite and the Israelite.
Others have seen in it the three-fold priestly blessing or the three
patriarchs—Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
What is the reason for the four cups of wine which are used
during the Seder?
- The use of wine in Jewish ritual appears to be the forerunner
of the modern custom of "toasting." Thus on any Sabbath or
upon any holiday the wine may be said to be a form of "toasting
God" for his gift of the Sabbath, the holiday, or that for which
the occasion stands. In the case of the Passover we lift the cup
of wine as a toast to our freedom given us by God who saved us
from the Egyptians. Four expressions for this redemption are
found in the Bible: "And I took ye out," "And I rescued ye,"
"And I redeemed ye," "And I took ye (unto me.") These are
regarded as the four steps to freedom. They are then toasted
individually with the respective four cups of wine to show that
we appreciate each and every step.
What is the meaning of the fifth cup of wine which is placed
upon the table and not consumed?
This is generally referred to as the Cup of Elijah, the prophet,
who is to come as the agent of the final redemption. Some claim
that since one of the opinions called for five cups instead of four
at the'- Seder, basing the fifth cup upon an additional expression
of redemption, 'And I brought ye." The decision of the fifth cup
is being left to Elijah who is some day to render the final decision
on all debatable questions in Jewish life. Elijah is also shown
this respect since he is regarded as the central figure in Jewish
circumcision (for this reason a "Chair of Elijah" is always desig-
nated at the circumcision ceremony) and circumcision was one
of the qualifications of anyone who wished to eat of the Paschal
Lamb which was sacrificed for the Passover. Others consider the
fifth cup as a symbol of hospitality, of welcome for the stranger,
the hungry and the poor.
Hagadah: Old
History Lesson
Daniel Persky, Pioneer
Of Modern Hebrew
By TINA LEVITAN
(Copyright, Seven Arts, 1951)
Minsk, Russia, 1902. A Hebrew classroom.
A Jewish boy sits next to his classmate.
Both are stealing glances at the Hebrew trans-
lation of "Robinson Crusoe." Both have already
demonstrated their deep concern for their cul-
tural heritage and have acquired an inordinate
love for the Hebrew language. But one of them
is despondent. He bewails the fate of modern
Hebrew.
"Modern Hebrew," says the one, "is han-
dicapped by a small and archaic vocabulary and
by an inflexibility of style."
"What bewildering absurdity," interrupts the
other. "True, the Hebrew tongue has for many
centuries almost disappeared from daily con-
versation but there are many modes of expres-
sion that can be gleaned from Biblical and post-
Biblical Literature. "The very range," he adds as
he points to the book lying before them, "as well
as the quality of this translation, prove the
baselessness of your assertions."
The decade that followed were the years in
*Inch Daniel Persky prepared for the destined
role he was to play as the Voice of the Hebrew
Revival in America. In 1907 he came to New
York City and pursued his goal by continuing
to master the Hebrew language, to know its in-
tricacies, to learn its qualities, usages, and var-
ious forms of expression. He succeeded to a
great degree and his notes and discussions on
the proper usage of Hebrew words and phrases
published from time to time in periodicals were
distinguished by a keen sense of linguistics.
It was no surprise then, a few years later,
to find Persky in his indefatigable search for
material, fulfilling a gnawing_ desire by visiting
the ancestoral homeland—the living fountain-
head of the renaissance of the traditional lan-
guage of the Jewish people.
The early pioneers who had found their way
back to the land of their fathers made a deep
impression on the young writer. Wherever he
went he could not help but discover that the
language of Moses and the Prophets was grad-
ually becoming the language of the day. He
rejoiced over every new word, over every in-
novation in the Hebrew language, over every
Hebrew newspaper, every circular and theater
advertisement he saw. In turn the inhabitants
of the country marveled at the Hebrew scholar
from America who spoke the Hebraic tongue
with such facility.
Living in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, traveling
and staying.: at the Communes in the Emek, ob-
serving and studying the linguistics of the
Yemenites and the Orientals, collecting the folk-
lore of the people in Palestine—all became part
of Persky's daily life in the East.
Persky, the fine essayist and profound wit,
is one of the leading architects of modern
Hebrew. And when future historians pen the
glory of the revival of the ancient tongue and
its molding into an instrument of modern ex-
pression they will record an American Jew—for
Persky has spent forty of his fifty-eight years in
the United States—as one of the central figures
in the great epic.
By LEON GUTTERMAN
(Copyright 1951, Jewish Telegraphic
Agency, Inc.)
(Copyright 1951, Jewish Telegraphic
Agency, Inc.)
The solemn discussions and
exchanges of opinion which
make up the intellectual phase
of the Hagadah, are inter-
spersed with passages ob-
viously intended to instruct by
amusement.
Architect of a Language
Movie Producer
Yehudi Menuhin
By HAROLD EIDLIN
The Hagadah is the .oldest
and probably the most effective
pedagogic instrument ever de-
vised.
In ancient times, the Passover
meal and its attendant rituals
would precede the recital of the
Hagadah. The child would in-
evitably ask why the observ-
ances of the evening took the
form they did. Today, too,
questions would undoubtedly
come from the lips of the in-
telligent child. But for the sake
of uniformity, four "leading"
questions have been formulated.
It is part of the traditional
observance of the Seder that
adults, as well as the children,
conduct themselves as students,
asking one another, and the
head of the household, as many
questions as they can, pertain-
ing to the celebration and the
story of the Exodus. Indeed,
the Hagadah itself recounts—in
one of its most charming epi-
sodes — how the five rabbis of
antiquity became so engrossed
In such an exchange of ques-
tions and answers that they sat
through the night discussing the
miracle of the Passover.
[Liz Pox
By TERRY ELMAN
(Copyright, 1951, Jewish Telegraphic
Agency, Inc.)
SPONGE CAKE No. 1
7 egg yolks
9 egg whites
11/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup potato flour
1/2 cup matzo flour (cake)
juice and grated rind of half lemon.
Procedure: Beat egg whites
very stiff. Boil sugar and water
until syrupy, then pour slowly
on beaten egg whites, beating
until slightly cool. Beat egg
yolks with lemon juice. Add
rind. Fold this mixture into
whites. Then gently fold in the
cup of combined sifted flours.
Dampen your largest angel-cake
tin with water. Pour in cake
mixture. Bake 45 to 50 minutes
in 375 deg. oven, turning down
heat to 350 deg. toward the end.
SPONGE CAKE No. 2
7 eggs, separated
3 tablespoons orange juice
Rind of
orange
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Rind of half lemon
1 cup sugar
Two-thirds cup potato flour
has • been sifted three times:
Bake in slow oven, 300-325 deg.,
.for one and a quarter hours.
PASSOVER TAIGLACH
8 eggs •
•
•
1 pound honey
1/2 pound sugar
1/2 tablespoon ginger
'.1 pound walnuts, cut
1 tablespoon fat
cake meal.
Beat eggs Well, add fat and
just enough cake meal to form
a soft dough. Roll by hand on
board, sprinkled with cake
meal, into long strips of finger
thickness. Cut in half inch
length pieces. Bake for 10 min-
utes at 350 deg. in a floured pan.
Mix honey, sugar and ginger
and bring to a boil. Add taig-
lach and nuts. Boil slowly, stir-
ring frequently, until honey
candies when dropped in cold
water. Remove taiglach on to
a moistened board, flatten, and
when cold, cut in squares.
MATZO CARROT PUDDING
2 tablespoons matzo meal
11/2 cups grated raw carrots
8 eggs separated
11/2 cups sugar
1 /1 cup potato flour
1/2 cup wine
.,=2 cup almonds
Rind of 3 ,
lemon
Procedure: Add sugar grad-
ually to stiffly beaten egg
whites. Beat yolks until thick
and lemon colored; add fruit
Beat egg yolks well, add sugar
juices and blend thoroughly. and beat thoroughly. Then add
Fold yolks into whites, and carrots, matzo meal, potato
gradually add potato flour which flour, grated almonds, lemon
Yehudi Menuhin, the world-
famous violinist who loves Cali-
fornia for relaxation, is a hand-
some man of 34 who for years
has taken motion pictures as a
rind, wine, and lastly, fold in hobby. - This year he became a
stiffly beaten whites. Bake in a motion picture producer in
well greased, floured pan in a earnest.
Yehudi is very enthusiastic
325 deg. oven for 1 hour.
about his new endeavor and his
BEET PRESERVE
first film, entitled "Concert
4 lbs. beets
Magic." The first film ever pro-
3 lbs. sugar
2 ozs. ginger
duced that features music for
la lb. almonds
music's sake, is now being re-
3 lemons
Wash and peel young beets; leased.
slice very thin or put through Yehudi says that he looks upon
food chopper. Cover with water this film not as another "Sun-
and cook slowly until tender. set Boulevard," but as the first
attempt to meet
Add sugar, ginger cut fine, lemon
the demands of
juice and rind. Cook slowly un-
music lovers in
til thick and clear, about one
mall towns
hour. When nearly done, add
and colleges
blanched cut almonds.
throughout the
PASSOVER BAGEL
world who now
1-,2 cup water
have opportun-
2 tablespoons fat
ity to hear lead-
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons sugar
ing artists and
1 cup matzo meal
orchestras.
3 eggs
Menuhin
For the film,.
Combine water, fat, salt and
sugar and bring to a. boil. Add which runs 72 minutes, Menuhin
matzo meal all at once, and stir plays a lot. of his most popular
quickly and thoroughly. Re- and famous numbers accompa-
move from fire. When cool, add nied by the fine pianist Adolph
eggs one at a time, beating well Bailer. In other parts of the
after each addition. Drop from film. he has performed some of
spoon on well greased pan. the larger violin works with a
Form hole in center with han- major symphony orchestra.
The film is produced by the
dle of a wooden spoon that has
Concert
Films corporation.
been well greased or with fore-
finger. Bake for 30 minutes in 8—THE JEWISH NEWS
a 350 deg. oven.
Friday, April 20, 1951